Monday, March 17, 2008 'It's not a joke to stay in jail' By Garry Cabotaje Sun.Star Staff Reporter
FACING a libel case is not new to Carlo Guzman Dugaduga, area manager of dyXR Aksyon Radyo of the Manila Broadcasting Company.
He was charged with a similar complaint when he took his first managerial job of a Bombo Radyo station in Butuan City in mid the ‘90s.
Dugaduga, a father of three kids, began his radio broadcasting career as a newscaster and writer of Bombo Radyo in Davao City.
Exactly a week ago, Dugaduga got surprised when a policeman served his arrest warrant in connection with a P10-million libel suit of Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr.
Ironically, he just came from a top-level management conference of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) in Clark, Pampanga, where they tackled libel charges, KBP accreditations and other broadcaster-related concerns.
The 38-year-old Dugaduga is KBP-Cebu executive vice president.
The case stemmed from commentaries of block-time program host Gilbert Wagas, who reportedly lambasted Sanchez for allegedly misleading the public about the curative effects of his Lacto Pafi health drink products.
Wagas, a former Compostela town mayor, reportedly delivered the comments in his noontime program “Wagas ug Gawasnon” at Aksyon Radyo.
For failing to post the P70,000 bail, Dugaduga got locked up and stayed overnight at a congested police detention cell in Talisay City.
He was already a radio station manager in Davao City when the arrest warrant from his first libel case was served on him. Unlike here, he immediately posted bail after staying in jail for seven hours.
Some viewed his arrest as too harsh for a station manager who got caught in the crossfire, arising from his co-accused allegedly libelous statements of his co-accused.
Dugaduga found it ironic too to get charged with libel by the vice governor, who once hosted a block-time program at Aksyon Radyo when the station was still renting an office building in Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City.
He profusely thanked KBP-Cebu, whose current leadership has proven it can to rescue a radio broadcaster in distress.
What’s the difference betwen this and your libel case in Butuan City?
In Butuan City, I personally discussed the issue on air. It was about a lot purchase that the City Government had paid for despite the lack of certification of cash availability and supporting ordinance from the City Council. I tried to get the side of the mayor but he refused.
The libel case was filed separately in Camiguin Province, Agusan del Sur and Surigao City. The case in Butuan City is still pending, the rest have already been dismissed.
Here, I was merely dragged into this case, being the station manager of Aksyon Radyo.
Some view the P70,000 bail for two counts of libel as excessive. What is your reaction to this?
There is really a disparity in the amount. In Butuan, I was only required to post P10,000 in a P20-million libel suit.
I believe the bail bond requirement relative to the vice governor’s libel suit is not fair. We will try to question that during trial. The huge bond requirement was one of the reasons I failed to post bail immediately. Some lawyers say the bond requirement is too much, tantamount to preventing me from posting bail for my temporary liberty.
Is it proper for a station manager to get charged with libel because of the perceived lapses of a block-time host?
Being a manager, maapil gyud. But I know Wagas is a responsible radio broadcaster. He is duly accredited with the KBP and has undergone a seminar on the broadcast code. Also, it is guaranteed in the Constitution that one can exercise one’s freedom of expression without prior restraint. Not even the state can suppress this freedom.
Did the vice governor have an alternative before he lodged the libel case against you and Wagas?
He can invoke his right to reply to answer the alleged libelous statements. If he believes he has not been given a chance to answer, he can complain before the KBP standards authority. If he still feels discontented, he can refer his complaint to KBP central office in Manila or to the Citizens Press Council.
How did that feel, of getting locked up for the second time?
It’s not a joke to stay in jail. Much more that I slept there overnight, you really to endure the humidity inside. I can imagine the spacious and comfy office of Mayor Socrates Fernandez upstairs, while the inmates have to squeeze themselves in a constricted jail facility.
But my co-inmates were very kind that they provided a floor mattress for me.
Compared to other police detention cells, Talisay City is well-lighted, male and female inmates are segregated. Only it has one toilet. (The PNP detention cell is located at the basement of the two-storey Talisay City Hall building).
Do you think it’s proper for Sanchez to offer P5,000 as his contribution to your bail bond?
It’s uncalled for. Pareha ra sa giingnan ko niya nga niay bato ipokpok sa imong ulo kay tagaan rako niya ug tambal. Nabutang sa yaga-yaga to ang iyang offer. But I’d like to point out that I have nothing personal against the vice governor. As I’ve said earlier, it is his legal right to file a libel case.
What lessons have you learned from this recent libel case?
As a broadcaster, we should be prudent in what we are going to preach on air. We should always exercise mental honesty and not to create an impression that you are biased for one side. We must be true to ourselves in tackling the issue.
With that experience, what’s your advice to young broadcasters?
If they really have that passion to serve the public through the media, either print or broadcast, they should not get easily discouraged. Threats and libel are but part of the hazards of the profession.
But they should always put in mind that in this profession, we take full and total responsibility for our actions. We can shout what we want if we are alone in a comfort room. It’s a different thing on radio, we are taking a stand on sensitive issues, the listening public are our stakeholders.
You’ve mentioned that you once tasted Lacto Pafi. Will you still drink this health drink?
If I have time, then I’ll do it. There’s no problem with me. Anyway, di man na tambal, it’s a food supplement.
